Taps originated in the military during the Civil War, when Union General Daniel Butterfield wanted a more solemn call to signal the day’s end. Together with Oliver Wilcox Norton, they wrote the tune we use today, to honor the men in camp at Harrison’s Landing in Virginia, and it was made official following the war. After taps is performed, the ceremonial band plays America the Beautiful while the flag is folded and presented to the family. There are so many requests for funerals at Arlington that families can wait up to eight months to bury their loved one. But when a soldier is killed in action, they move to the top of the list. Earlier this year, the cemetery announced newly proposed eligibility requirements that limit burials to service members killed in action, former POWs, prestigious figures such as Purple Heart recipients, presidents and vice presidents, according to WAMU. The changes come as Arlington struggles to stay active amid space limitations. There’s nothing easy about serving in a military funeral. But for the band, proximity to young families who have lost a soldier in combat can be difficult to watch. “I remember a job, with a young soldier who passed away, and we were playing, and she [his wife] ran up to the casket and tried to hug it. And when you’re close enough to witness things like that, it puts it all in perspective,” said Staff Sgt. Alicia Eisenstadt, a bugler with the Army Band. Taps is a no-fail mission. Buglers can’t crack a note. It doesn’t matter what happens when they’re playing. They have to be laser-focused on the mission. But it’s not like other musical performances, where you’re playing for an audience. “You want to have a good Taps so you can say you really did justice to that family,” Eisenstadt said. “The entire nation is expecting something from you.”